Jacoby Brissett: Why Do Teams Love Him So Much?

Jacoby Brissett is a decent quarterback. That much is easy to see. However, the past few months have shown NFL teams fighting over him like he’s a rising star.

The Indianapolis Colts traded former 1st round wide receiver Phillip Dorsett to New England for the rights to Brissett. He became their starter in 2017 with Andrew Luck sidelined. While his situation wasn’t ideal, it’s not like he did anything otherworldly. In 16 games, Brissett completed 58.8% of his passes for 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. That’s not terrible but it’s not good either.

So can somebody explain why the Seattle Seahawks were prepared to send a second round pick to the Colts in exchange for Brissett this offseason? That’s what Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reported was the case. Somehow what’s more baffling than the offer itself was the fact that Indy turned the offer down. They could’ve given up a backup QB knowing Luck was coming back for a high draft choice. Instead, they chose to keep him.

Huh?

Either the Colts don’t trust Luck’s health or Brissett has people bewitched

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How many times have teams held on to backup quarterbacks when they had a chance to get a high pick in return? The betting line will be low on that. Keep in mind Brissett will be entering the last year of his contract in 2019. The odds of trading him for such a favorable pick by that point are unreasonable. This means one of two things. Indianapolis doesn’t trust Luck’s health despite his return or they believe they have something special with Brissett.

If it’s the former? It at least makes some sense. Luck hasn’t played since 2015. He took a lot of hits back then and there’s no telling if the next one will break him again. Brissett is young and has starting experience. That might at least give the Colts a chance to stay competitive in 2018. If it’s the other possibility? Quite frankly it’s difficult to see what they’re seeing.

Brissett was a 3rd round pick. He was a solid player at N.C. State. He’s done nothing to change that perception since arriving in the NFL. He’s a backup. A good backup but a backup. To treat him like he’s better than Jimmy Garoppolo (who went to San Francisco for a 2nd round pick) is baffling. Brissett was Garoppolo’s backup in New England.

The Colts may have their reasons for the decision, but they may regret passing on the opportunity to secure quality draft capital for a player who may not be around in two years.

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